The Heart of Fire (97 page)

If you manage to defeat this nightmarish apparition, restore any lowered attributes then turn to
589
.

617

Black Patch returns with the other Sheva, then together you plan your attack. The compound is lightly defended – but even so, the walls of the fort are high and staked,
ending in four lookout towers, with a guard in each. You also notice that two of the towers have a repeating crossbow, capable of shredding anything that gets within range. You glance back at the
tigris and start to wonder if the Khana pack were right to flee to the marsh.

But the Sheva have one big advantage – you.

‘Fire,’ you smile, showing them the sparks you can create with your tinderbox.

Half an hour later and you are skirting the far side of the compound, where the forest grows closest to the walls. Black Patch and White Cloak keep watch, while you attempt to set sparks to the
kindling you have placed next to the wooden wall. It takes several attempts – but soon smoke starts to rise from the smouldering embers. You move on to a different section of wall, repeating
the exercise. Then you head back into the forest and wait.

It takes an excruciating amount of time, but soon you hear calls of alarm as one of the walls suddenly goes up in flames. You slink back to the front of the compound, away from the fire, to see
several of the Sheva scouts climbing the front wall. Their claws make short work of the height, dropping down on the other side. More cries follow – including a gargling scream. Then the rest
of the Sheva emerge from the forest. One of the crossbows in the towers swings around, firing a rain of bolts in their direction. But the barrage misses its mark as the tigris surge forward,
towards the slowly opening gates.

‘Wood den is open,’ grins White Cloak. ‘Now, we make skins bleed!’

The female tigris leads the way, bounding from the cover of the trees and heading for the opening gateway. You follow, drawing your weapons, with Black Patch at your side. Turn to
669
.

618

You must now decide if you want to take the raft and use it to navigate the fast-flowing river (turn to
512
) or whether you would prefer to keep to
the river’s banks, following the edge of the forest (turn to
703
).

619

Glancing down one of the side aisles, you notice an open doorway leading through into a darkened chamber. Metal tips protrude from holes in the door lintel, suggesting a raised
barrier or portcullis. You suddenly remember back to the crystal ball and the room you saw in your vision. This is the secret cache that you unlocked using the crystal.

Excited by your find, your hurry along the passage to investigate the storeroom. Turn to
671
.

620

You give chase to the goblins, following them into a set of labyrinthine passages. The dark tunnels wind and twist, constantly intersecting with other shafts and corridors,
until you have lost all sense of direction. Your only guide through this infuriating maze is the goblins, who lead you on a serpentine path, taking you ever deeper into the black rock.

At last you sight a red glow, filtering through a crack in the wall. You squeeze through, finding yourselves at the top of a sloping ledge. Below you, through the fingers of mist, you can see
the magma lake and its tiny islands, bobbing on the surface.

‘There!’ Virgil pats your shoulder and points. The three goblins are now scurrying down the rock, the flickering light stretching their shadows into dark, sinister giants. The larger
goblin is lagging behind his companions, the bag of loot slowing him down. Virgil takes aim and fires. The goblin staggers. He takes another few steps then flops forward onto his stomach, his loot
bag clunking down on top of him.

When you catch up with the goblin, you see a pool of black blood oozing around his body. You lift up the sack, seeing that the bullet has gone straight through.

‘Hope I didn’t damage the goods,’ says Virgil, holstering his pistol. ‘Let’s see what the goblins found.’

You crouch down, tipping the bag’s contents onto the ground. Most of the items appear to be junk: broken shards of pottery, a few chipped gemstones, some chunks of iron and silver.
However, a few pilfered treasures catch your eye. You may take any/all of the following:

When you have made your decision, turn to
820
to continue your pursuit of the remaining goblins.

621

You smash the pillar down to size, its last vestiges of dark magic trickling away into the ruins. Searching the rubble, you find one of the following rewards:

If you wish to follow the escaped magic, turn to
733
. If you would rather press on through the ruins, turn to
764
.

622

Intricate dwarven runes are carved into the monocle’s gold frame. When you wear it, you discover that you can understand any language or script, including the most
complicated of glyphs. This is a powerful artefact indeed – and one that will help you to unlock new levels of power.

You may now equip the following item:

The scholar has the following abilities:

Tome raider (pa)
: Using the monocle you are able to unlock the hidden secrets of the arcane. You may automatically add 2
magic
to each
spell book in your possession.

Bright spark (mo)
: Your powers are amplified, allowing you to re-roll any dice for your damage score for the duration of the combat. You must
accept the result of the re-rolled dice.

As soon as the
mind’s
eye talisman is unequipped or you learn a new career, you lose the abilities associated with the scholar career.

If you do not wish to keep the monocle, then Yootha at the trading post will offer you 100 gold crowns for it. When you have made your decision, return to the quest
map
to continue your
journey.

623

Most of your surroundings are obscured by cloud, but to the north you are afforded a breath-taking view of the forest. You take out the scholar’s parchment and hastily
add to the map, noting the rotten marsh to your left and the ruins stretching over the hills to your right. Make a note of the key words
north view
on your hero sheet.

You may now head back into the ruins to continue your journey. Turn to
667
. If you have already completed the dark interior quest, you can return to the quest
map
instead.

624

Next, you must decide what type of paper you wish to use. One set has been made with a light-coloured wood that sparkles with spots of silver. The other set has a bitter smell,
the paper infused with flecks of dark crimson. If you wish to choose the
silver wood paper
, turn to
863
. If you would prefer to use the
blood leaf paper
,
turn to
795
.

625

‘Yer don’t want to be lugging all that gear around with you out in the jungle. Travel light as yer can. I got a locker out back – keep your swagger safe. I
even give yer your own master key, so no funny business. Honest word.’ The man’s face splits into another gummy smile. ‘Just 10 shiny ones and that stash is yours. If yer got any
belongings back home yer want shipped in, then I can get that arranged . . . grease a few palms, you get me meaning.’

If you wish, you may purchase a locker for 10 gold crowns. You may store any extra backpack items or items of equipment in the locker during act 2. If you swap equipment (weapons, backpack items
etc.) during your adventure, you may put the item you are replacing in your locker by turning to this entry number. This will prevent it from being destroyed. You can only keep a maximum of four
objects in your locker:

You can re-equip items from your locker, whenever you visit this entry number between quests. If you had a previous safe house in Carvel, you can have your items transferred to your act 2 locker
by paying 30 gold crowns.

When you have made your decision, you may ask Bertie about the noticeboard (turn to
454
) or continue your journey (turn to
571
).

626

You enter a low-ceilinged room, filled with broken burial urns and anointed linen wraps. Someone has clearly been through this room with a mind to searching it – smashing
through whatever they could get their hands on. You are reminded of your earlier vision of the demon and wonder if this was the room that you saw being ransacked.

To the left, an arch leads through into a smaller antechamber, where you can see a model of a stepped pyramid resting on a pedestal. It is surrounded by broken clay tablets. Straight ahead, a
set of stairs lead down into darkness.

627

There is a rumbling, cracking sound as a narrow section of the wall starts to slide backwards, revealing a hidden chamber. To your relief, you find that it is stacked high with
treasures – from sparkling gold caskets to rune-forged weapons.

If you are a warrior or rogue, turn to
777
. If you are a mage, turn to
176
.

628

You hand over the
quetzal egg
(you can remove this item from your hero sheet). Bill studies it with an ever-widening grin. ‘Oh yes, perfect find. And still in one
piece. Bet it tastes good fried up with some bread, eh?’ He slaps you on the shoulder, guffawing. ‘Nah, just joking with you, friend. This will hatch into something far more valuable
– they’re prized by mages. I even heard of one teaching a quetzal to talk! Hah!’ He fishes in his pocket for some gold. ‘Here, there’s a hundred crowns for your
trouble.’ (You have gained 100 gold crowns.) You may now explore the rest of the camp, turn to
744
, or leave and return to the quest
map
.

629

Although tempted, you manage to resist the lure of the powerful weapon. Your instincts tell you that it is an evil thing – and one that is best left alone. Turning your
back on the black spear, you start away across the courtyard. On the spot where the great spirit Mortzilla was finally slain, you discover a rare treasure glinting back at you. If you wish, you may
now help yourself to one of the following:

Your decision made, you leave the Lamuri ruins and head back into the jungle. Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

630

In the following series of encounters you must outrun the wind demon, Nyx. You have 20 combat rounds to fight your way to the top of the Abussos. Keep a track of each separate
combat you fight and how many combat rounds have passed. Once you reach the end of the twentieth combat round, Nyx has caught up with you and you will have failed the challenge.